On 15 August, the Cabinet of Ministers (CoM) issued a decree on the project "Implementation of technical support and digital solutions for effective functioning of the investigation process, improvement of public order and security monitoring" to be implemented under the Recovery Fund, as a result of which the daily work of law enforcement agencies will be aided for public safety. The project will be implemented by the Information Centre of the Ministry of the Interior in cooperation with the State Police and SLLC "Latvijas Valsts ceļi".
The project, which is part of the nationwide initiative "Modernisation and digital transformation of government and services, including the business environment", will extend the use of technological platforms based on video surveillance solutions for recognising and storing number plates of vehicles travelling in Latvia, recording their location, date, time, photograph and other parameters. This will contribute to faster investigation and detection of criminal offences, record the participation of vehicles in road traffic without a valid roadworthiness test or a compulsory civil liability insurance policy, or in breach of road toll rules.
The introduction of a common technological platform for the recognition and storage of vehicle registration plates will enable the use of modern technological solutions compliant with today's data security requirements and will contribute to public order and security in the country. For example, it will be possible to quickly identify vehicle registration plates and compare them with vehicle lists defined in the system. If a match is detected, information about the movement of such a vehicle will automatically be reported for further response. Initially, it is planned to record vehicle movements at about 100 locations on the roads maintained by SLLC "Latvijas Valsts ceļi".
The project also plans to launch the first phase of the Criminal Procedure Information System (KRASS), which will enable the electronic launch of the investigation process, as well as the exchange of data in the Ministry of Justice's electronic case catalogue and case traceability, accessibility and openness of information.
Currently, in addition to the manual circulation of documents, information on criminal offences registered in the country, criminal proceedings initiated and procedural decisions taken in criminal proceedings must be entered in KRASS, which is a manual and labour-intensive process. As part of the launch of KRASS Phase 1, the format of paper documents for some processes will be changed to electronic documents. It will also be possible to sign, reconcile and forward electronic documents digitally, creating a single working environment.
Today, as technology becomes more important in everyday life, so too does the opportunity and need for secure integration of information and communication technologies to optimise day-to-day cooperation between different services and authorities overseeing specific areas, while respecting data security requirements.
The project costs are estimated at a maximum of EUR 3,337,856, including EUR 2,807,280 from the Recovery Fund and a maximum of EIR 530,576 from the state budget to cover value added tax costs.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department